Excited
Texas Democrats are demanding an apology over state Representative Betty Brown’s comments during Texas House testimony on voter identification. She was quoted as saying voters of Asian-descent should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.” Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans, testified at the committee meeting that many Asian people in the United States face voting challenges because their legal names and Americanized names don’t always match.
Brown suggested that Asian-Americans should find a way to make their names more accessible.
“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said. She later told Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”
What’s incredible about this exchange is that Representative Brown doesn’t find her remarks as racially insensitive. As an immigrant to the U.S. and one that had a particularly difficult name to pronounce, I was subject to a lot of ridicule as a child. Other children would mis-pronounce my Chinese name as “dum-dum”. This got so bad that my parents finally gave me an American name. But like many of the Asians that Ko talked about, my American name didn’t match my legal Chinese name for much of my life. When I first had the right to vote at the age of 18, I would have encountered the same issues discussed by Ko if I was required to produce identification. I clung to my Americanized name of Timothy for much of my young life, but when I went to college, I contemplated going back to my Chinese name. I even wrote some pieces under my Chinese name, but in the end for convenience I stuck with my American name.
The subject of Asian names in American society is no stranger to 8Asians. Just recently, guest writer Chunsoon, wrote a hotly debated piece on changing her adoptive name from her legal American one to a Korean name. Representative Brown needs to get a clue. For Asians self-identity has a lot to do with what we call ourselves, but little to do with what our names are legally.
How does this post make you feel?
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.
If you see a comment that violates the 8Asians.com comment policy, you may flag the comment by mousing over the comment and clicking "FLAG."
Wow, way to misquote her by cutting the context. In the video, in the sentence immediately following she says "I'm not talking about changing your name, I'm talking about the transliteration or whatever you refer to that you could use with us."
She sounds very ignorant, unlike the guy she's talking to, Ramey Ko, who's very well-spoken and informative (I wish the video had more of his testimony). But I think calling Betty Brown racist for this is ridiculous and a cheap shot. It looks to me like she's making an honest attempt to try to educate herself on what's a tricky topic. It sounds like she thinks consistent transliteration would be a good way to solve the problem, but obviously it's more complicated, as Ko then explains.
He's the one who brings up names as an issue for voter registration. And he's the one who explains there's a problem, not just because of varied transliterations, but because naturalized citizens often come to the States with one name and later use an anglicized name, so a discrepancy develops between different forms of ID.
So, far from telling Asians to change their names, you could argue Brown is saying "Why don't you just keep your Chinese name and stop changing it?" Ko then explains why it's not that simple.
Wow, way to misquote her by cutting the context. In the video, in the sentence immediately following she says "I'm not talking about changing your name, I'm talking about the transliteration or whatever you refer to that you could use with us."
She sounds very ignorant, unlike the guy she's talking to, Ramey Ko, who's very well-spoken and informative (I wish the video had more of his testimony). But I think calling Betty Brown racist for this is ridiculous and a cheap shot. It looks to me like she's making an honest attempt to try to educate herself on what's a tricky topic. It sounds like she thinks consistent transliteration would be a good way to solve the problem, but obviously it's more complicated, as Ko then explains.
He's the one who brings up names as an issue for voter registration. And he's the one who explains there's a problem, not just because of varied transliterations, but because naturalized citizens often come to the States with one name and later use an anglicized name, so a discrepancy develops between different forms of ID.
So, far from telling Asians to change their names, you could argue Brown is saying "Why don't you just keep your Chinese name and stop changing it?" Ko then explains why it's not that simple.
Sometimes I wonder about voter suppression methods whether they're well-intentioned but ignorant or racist and mean-spirited. In Betty Brown's case, it seems more the former than the latter.
Sometimes I wonder about voter suppression methods whether they're well-intentioned but ignorant or racist and mean-spirited. In Betty Brown's case, it seems more the former than the latter.
The racist insistence on APAs changing their names is bullshit, but the Voter ID bill Betty Brown is trying to pass in TX (and the Photo ID bill that'll be on the next ballot initiative in CA) are far WORSE. Asking for voter ID is a time-honored GOP method of voter suppression. Think about it--a simple clerical error or a person predisposed to "misread" your ID could cause you to lose your right to vote.
More here: http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2009/04/asi...
The racist insistence on APAs changing their names is bullshit, but the Voter ID bill Betty Brown is trying to pass in TX (and the Photo ID bill that'll be on the next ballot initiative in CA) are far WORSE. Asking for voter ID is a time-honored GOP method of voter suppression. Think about it--a simple clerical error or a person predisposed to "misread" your ID could cause you to lose your right to vote.
More here: http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2009/04/asi...
haha. that's true about polish names. My 6th grade teacher had us take attendance by spelling his name. We were all assigned letters, S z c z e c h o w s k i (pronounced Mr. Sha-hus-ky) when everybody was there we would spell his name completely twice. He said when he was in the army, he got out of a lot of stuff because the drill sergeant didn't know how to pronounce his name.
haha. that's true about polish names. My 6th grade teacher had us take attendance by spelling his name. We were all assigned letters, S z c z e c h o w s k i (pronounced Mr. Sha-hus-ky) when everybody was there we would spell his name completely twice. He said when he was in the army, he got out of a lot of stuff because the drill sergeant didn't know how to pronounce his name.
@FLINC - Krzyzewski - yeah, totally! How that comes across being pronounced as "Shu00c9u0099-zhef-skee" is beyond me!
@FLINC - Krzyzewski - yeah, totally! How that comes across being pronounced as "Shu00c9u0099-zhef-skee" is beyond me!
Does Mike Krzyzewski get this kind of static?
Does Mike Krzyzewski get this kind of static?
At first I thought she was ignorant. Then I saw her photo and realized that eye shadow seepage into her brain has wrought it's damage. Poor, deranged woman.
At first I thought she was ignorant. Then I saw her photo and realized that eye shadow seepage into her brain has wrought it's damage. Poor, deranged woman.
The solution is to only use poll workers who speak Chinese fluently.
The solution is to only use poll workers who speak Chinese fluently.
Well those x's and z's kinda throw me off. Xiang.. is that Shee-ang or Zee ang.. . same reason I can't handle those strange aztecan words
Well those x's and z's kinda throw me off. Xiang.. is that Shee-ang or Zee ang.. . same reason I can't handle those strange aztecan words
Okay, so who here quietly thought to themselves, "What are you talking about? Chinese names are totally easy to pronounce. Now the Thai names are fucking difficult"?
No one? Just me? Okay...
Okay, so who here quietly thought to themselves, "What are you talking about? Chinese names are totally easy to pronounce. Now the Thai names are fucking difficult"?
No one? Just me? Okay...
u00e2u0080u009cThey want this to just be about race,u00e2u0080u009d Berry said."
well if it's not about race, then what is it about, smartypants?
u00e2u0080u009cThey want this to just be about race,u00e2u0080u009d Berry said."
well if it's not about race, then what is it about, smartypants?
Clearly this woman is living in the 18th century. And good point Charles about the Polish names!
Clearly this woman is living in the 18th century. And good point Charles about the Polish names!
Hmmm, actually Americanized names would cause *more* problems with Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese where there are a relatively small number of surnames. The only alternative would be more and more unusual given names.
I didn't notice Ms. Brown asking Polish people to change their surnames.
Hmmm, actually Americanized names would cause *more* problems with Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese where there are a relatively small number of surnames. The only alternative would be more and more unusual given names.
I didn't notice Ms. Brown asking Polish people to change their surnames.
Join the "Down with Betty Brown" Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84118977753
Join the "Down with Betty Brown" Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84118977753
Trackbacks
Custom Search
Recent Posts
- Naruto & Dragonball Now Available On Barnes & Noble Nook
- Kisai Rogue KR2 LED Watch
- Behind The Scenes With Team Janet & A Call To Help Janet Find Her Match
- Steven Yeun Talks About The Walking Dead Season 2.5 & Tries A Bacon Milkshake
- What LA Thinks Japanese Food Is Vs. What Japanese Really Eat
- Asian Americans Have Mixed Results In Retirement Study
- Handcrafted “Oswald” Wooden Sunglasses
Recent Comments
- : Rock-on, Steven. Judging from the segment, I find this female host to be less of an attention-whore than Olivia Munn. Moar female hosts like this,... – Steven Yeun Talks About The Walking Dead Season 2.5 & Tries A Bacon Milkshake
- : @itzagudwun@Reechard Jeremy is not the only Christian in the NBA. Curry on the Warriors was one too and that was mentioned in different articles last... – What if Jeremy Lin Weren't Asian?
- : Asian men earn the most because WE HAVE TO. Our parents pressure us. We can't get women if we're not high earners (we have to... – Asian Men Have The Highest Salary
- : I actually thought the show was funny. Come on guys! How many times did you see BOBBY LEE stereotype Asians on MAD TV similar to... – '2 Broke Girls' Creator Defends Ethnic Stereotypes... With More Stereotypes
- : @akrypti I'm assuming you were born in America and have been raised by a "Authoritative parents" that were more or less laid-back? I hope you... – My Chinese Monster-in-Law
APA Events
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
Feb 16: (New York, NY) Amar Chitra Katha: Monica Ferrell, Chitra Ganesh, Keshni Kashyap, and Himanshu “Heems” Suri of Das Racist
Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons
Feb 18: (Stanford, CA) Stanford’s 16th Listen to the Silence Conference- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
Feb 25: (Los Angeles, CA) Past Present I Future Imperatives: Queer Space Time
Mar 3: (New York, NY) Vong Pak’s ‘Electric Shaman’ Concert
Apr 30: (Sacramento, CA) California Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit 2012: iAdvocate
Staff and Contributors
- Editors
- Ernie Hsiung - Founder, Editor-in-Chief
- Moye Ishimoto - Co-Editor, Editorial
- Joz Wang - Co-Editor, PR & APA Outreach
[...] Betty Brown: “Really, Just Change Your Name” – “… calling Betty Brown racist for this is ridiculous and a cheap shot. It looks to me like she’s making an honest attempt to try to educate herself on what’s a tricky topic.” – Kai, from the comments [...]